Ramblings about knitting, life, exploits, and other things.

June 15, 2012

We Have the Papers

I hear that title in the fake German accent from some old comedic film "Ve haf ze papers...."

Perhaps this is so because this whole thing feels like a farce.

In order to get the document that one needs to show to get your Social Security Card replaced, we had to get Kitty's social security card replaced. (okay, one of the possible documents you need, but the preferred one -- your Driver's License).

And in order to get my current college to issue my certification in MY NAME when I graduate, I had to have a copy of my marriage license. Seriously. I had to order it to prove that my legal name is now my legal name.

Why?

Well, you see, way back in 1981, I took a class at the same Community College through which I'm now studying Massage Therapy. Yes, one class. (Accounting Principles 101). So, they have permanently connected my SSN to my maiden name.

The fact that I took another class in 2006, for which I registered under my married name is irrelevant. They did not then change my name in their system. I get that. It was a four-hour workshop called "Couple's Massage" in which Golf Pro and I learned some basic strokes. No tests, no grades, no affect on my transcript...

But now, I need the name on my Certification to match the name on my photo ID (yes, my driver's license). My driver's license (which shows both my name and my social security number) is insufficient to prove that my name was legally changed -- even though I had to produce my marriage certificate to get my name changed on the license. (Not only that, my married name is actually my maiden name PLUS my husband's last name, so the old name is still there.... ya know...) Anyway, my passport, which shows my married name -- and that it was changed from my maiden name, for which I also had to produce the marriage certificate, is also inadequate. The only document that the school will accept is a CERTIFIED marriage license.

This means that a document issued by the state in which the school exists is no good (Ignoring political commentary, especially those involving our past Governors). A document issued by the Federal Government is no good (we will ignore all of the political remarks). Instead, they want a document issued by a state with no ties to the school, in which I've never lived.....

I'm detecting a theme here. I'm pretty sure I don't like it either. Luckily, we now have in our possession all the magic documents we need to get the other documents we need to do the next thing we want to do.

Yes, today, the wonderful people at the post office delivered ze papers....

Kitty will be able to drive a car (and get on a plane), and I will be able to take my National Certification Exam once I've graduated.... because my ID and my Certificate from the school will MATCH!

Here's hoping no one changes the rules about ze papers in the next few months.

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When we were living in Switzerland, any time we did anything remotely administrative (even changing our address with the Kanton) we got in the habit of taking a copy of our marriage license with us. Although this was a copy of an old civil document from a state in a different country, printed in a foreign language, and had been authenticated at the time by Social Security numbers (which they've never heard of) and now-long-expired Drivers License information, it was the only way we could ever convince anyone that we were married in spite of the fact that...(*gasp*) we didn't have the same last name!

It wouldn't matter if we had been to that office/store/post office numerous times. Still had to have the license just to be safe, because you never knew when someone would insist on seeing it, whether or not they had any authority to ask.

I won't even start on the fact that our tax returns always had to be filed with my name as the Head of Household (even though I didn't pay the bills or make the most money) because...well, because I was the male, of course. Duh.